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Seraphina

In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents.

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Well written and compelling, "Seraphina" is an excellent book without the usual Young Adult fluffiness. If you're into dragons you'll definitely enjoy this book; I found Seraphina's world very intriguing and cannot wait to read the two sequels, which are "Shadow Scale" and "Tess of the Road". If you like listening to audiobooks, definitely check out the audiobook of this story, which is read by Mandy Willaims; it was absolutely perfect for the story!

Seraphina offers a unique take on the dragon genre. In Rachel Hartman's fantasy series, dragons have the ability to transform their giant scaly bodies into human form, where they can walk, talk and interact with the humans of Goredd as scholars and doctors. A tenuous peace between the dragons and humans has been maintained for last 40 years. But despite the peace, Seraphina still must hide who she is. As half dragon-half human her very existence is a danger to herself and her family as interbreeding between humans and dragons is taboo to the point of heresy. But as turmoil draws near and enemies on both sides of the fight threaten to overturn the peace, Seraphina may be the only one who can understand both sides and bring them together.

Serephina is a practical and clever character with an incredible music ability. Her dark secret causes her to maintain a low-profile while living in the Queen's court, acting as a musician's assistant and providing lessons to the Princess. However, as events transpire, Seraphina is forced to slowly enter the spotlight to protect the people, and dragons, that she loves.

Recommended to lovers of fantasy, steam-punk, and strong female characters.

A strong YA book. I love that the dragon lore is unique and how music is used in this story. Though I was able to figure out the plot midway through I still enjoyed the progression of the story. There is a typical romance element as in most YA fiction but the story still moves along and you get a nice surprise at towards the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed escaping into the kingdom of Goredd for a few days while I read this book. Hartman uses fanciful yet very relatable language to tell the story of Seraphina, a uniquely talented human/dragon girl who sets off on a quest to solve a murder while protecting her friends and learning about herself. Well-developed characters, including the heroine and a cast of loveable misfits, drew me in and kept me reading. The pop of romance complemented, but did not overshadow the main storyline. I would recommend this to any teenager or adult interested in fantasy.

Hartman presents us with a world where dragons and humans have been at war with each other for a long time. In the novel, the two have enjoyed 40 years of peace, but some would prefer war. Dragons can take human shape and act as ambassadors in the human court. The protagonist, Seraphina has a very dangerous secret – she is half-human half-dragon, which is something both dragons and humans forbid. I loved Hartman’s take on dragons – very logic-based, mathematical beings who don’t believe in emotions like love. It can actually be very deadly for a dragon to feel love. I also loved that Hartman gave Seraphina a gift for music and had her join the court – probably the worst place for a half-human half-dragon to be. Be sure to check out this fascinating take on dragons and its sequel Shadow Scale.

Summary

In a world where dragons roam and walk amongst humans, in human form called saarantras. In such a world where dragons can go unnoticed, and still harbor such awesome powers, tensions between dragons and humans rise as the fortieth anniversary of their great treaty approaches.